- Tweak and target your resume for each job. Be specific to the needs of the job and how you can fulfill them. Employers look for strong communication skills, motivation, teamwork, leadership, creativity and a strong work ethic.
- Analyze what you think the company needs and demonstrate what qualifies you to fulfill that need. To do that look to the job description to identify key words and use those “power words” in your resume. Phrases such as “Well-organized and resourceful”, “Highly motivated and goal oriented”, or “A quick learner” have those key words employers are looking for.
- Use action verbs such as: Achieved, Appointed, Awarded, Collaborated, Communicated, Constructed, Demonstrated, Drafted, Established, Increased, Negotiated, Obtained, Published, Reorganized, Represented, Synthesized, Transcribed, Verified, and Write to demonstrate your accomplishments in an active and engaging way.
- Use effective titles that truly describe your roles, responsibilities and qualifications. Employers spend very little time actually looking at a resume so be descriptive and informative about your experience in a concise way.
- Bad: Secretary
- Good: Admin Assistant -- MS Office Expert
- Bad: Public Relations
- Good: PR Specialist -- PRSA Certified
If you are applying for a job in the same field employers will know abbreviations such as A/R, A/P, PRSA, and HR.
- Use numbers and quantifiable words to create a vivid image in the
reader’s mind. Numbers and tangible items such as upward trends, increased participation, increased sales are impressive because they demonstrate concrete impact.
- List relevant skills, foreign languages, and knowledge including program and software such as Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Creative Suite, along with operating systems such as Mac OS X and Windows 7. These type of technical knowledge can really set an applicant apart from the rest.
- The layout and design is important. Make the information easy to read by not over crowding the document. By using bullet points it allows for easy to read short spurts of information. Put experience into logical chronological order, and put most useful and important skills higher up in the list.
- Have a mentor look over your resume. And update your resume regularly
